HYDERABAD: Can you ever think of trading a life online? Log onto the online marketplaces and you can find several ads selling pets, complete with a price tag. City Express speaks to experts, animal activists and a few people in the city who have bought pets online and will highlight the issues an animal or the owner may face and a few possible solutions to avoid such problems too.
“Most people who advertise online try to sell pets that have genetic issues or other health complications. There are cases where they may send pictures of healthy puppies. After you pay the money, the puppy you get may not be the one you saw in the photographs,” shares Dr R Jayaprakash, director, directorate of clinics at Madras Veterinary College.
The animal’s health complications vary depending on the environment it was born and raised in, the way the pup’s parents were treated and also the mode of transportation adopted to transfer it. “Genetic issues are common among the animals purchased online,” adds Jayaprakash.
“I had a client who bought a breed for `50,000 online. When he received the dog, it was a cross of Pomeranian! The man was disappointed. It has been three years and even today when he brings his dog, he says ‘this is the dog that online seller cheated me with’.” Yeah, we feel bad for the dog!
Another problem with buying them online is that pedigree dogs are abandoned if they are unhealthy. “Several owners and breeders dump their dogs because the latter had problems like hip dysplasia (due to inbreeding), skin conditions, old age, and others. These dogs undergo so much pain and trauma, that it’s difficult to get them to trust people again…or just enjoy being a dog,” rues Jennifer Jacob, an animal activist.
Agreeing with her, another activist in the city, Kamal Banger, shares, “I have two abandoned pedigree dogs in my house. I cannot say for sure they were purchased online, but there are chances. To me, buying a life online is a big no! Adoption is always better.”
Raksha, a student in the city, who had bought a puppy from eBay as a gift for a friend, says buying from uncertified breeders, and selling pets to unverified families leads to abuse of pets. “The pup wasn’t healthy, and the previous owners had kids who manhandled him. He was malnourished and we had to get him some injections and medicines to get him healthy again.”
Mridula Ramadugu, who wanted a golden retriever to give it to her father, went shopping online. Her dog, named Jackey, is healthy now, but did face minor heath issues after a month.
“I wanted to make sure the seller was reliable; so I took a friend along with me to check on the dog and the place where it grew up, and I was convinced. I insist that websites should have a filter and better rules before accepting ads for pet sales,” she explains.
Stating that in most cases the defects in the animal will show up only after a few months, Dr Jayaprakash assures that 90 percent of animals brought online face problems. So what health complications can a dog develop due to travel? “Stress-related illness is common and the environment in which the animal travels may lead to viral diseases. Sometimes, the pup can die during travel too!”